


Domestic Avengers

by denyingmyselfalways



Series: How Tony Stark accidentally became a dad [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky is not a villain either, Domestic Avengers!!!, Domestic Fluff, Gen, How Do I Tag, I love all of them and none of them are villains thank you very much, Just fluff basically, Peter is the Avengers child, Protective Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Friendly, Tony Stark Has A Heart, avengers fluff, fanboy!peter, steve rogers friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-15 05:37:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15406158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denyingmyselfalways/pseuds/denyingmyselfalways
Summary: Even without looking she could feel his star-struck grin. No wonder Tony had become all parental. That mini spider had him wrapped around his finger. He might have them all wrapped around his little finger pretty soon. And Natasha realized that she didn’t think she would mind if he did.Or: how Peter managed to get every single Avenger to become uber-protective of him and practically become his parents.Set before the ending of the previous fic.





	1. Natasha

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooooo sorry if this is a bit confusing because it's set after the first chapter of the previous fic in the series, but set before the last chapter. I will specify for each chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter of this fic is set just after the first chapter of '5 times the Avengers almost found out Peter's identity'
> 
> Enjoy!!!

It took Peter a while to focus enough to get started on his essay. He went from mentally scolding himself for fanboying in front of the Avengers, to mentally scolding himself for overthinking it, to fanboying again.

After all, it was _the Avengers._ No, Peter wasn’t freaking out. Not at _all_.

Okay, maybe a little bit. So that’s why it took two hours to finish his rough draft. Partly because he was wasting time, and partly because he was procrastinating so he didn’t go back down there and make a fool of himself in front of them _again._ He hoped Mr. Stark came up with a good cover story for him besides ‘just an intern,’ because most of them didn’t seem to buy it. Now that Peter really thought about it, he and Tony were kind of close. Although why Clint thought Peter was Tony’s child, he couldn’t begin to fathom.

He decided that the rough draft would be enough progress for today because the work was grating on his hyperactive nerves and they were screaming at him to get up and MOVE already. So, he did. He crawled up the wall and sat on the ceiling to do the few math problems he hadn’t finished in study hall.

Considering who was in the building, he probably should have locked the door, but Peter being Peter, decided that he wasn’t important enough for any of the Avengers besides Tony to come into his room, and they’d probably knock if they did pay him a visit, right?

But Natasha Romanoff knocks about as often as Tony does. Read as: never knocks.

 

The meeting went on for two hours after Peter had left, and Natasha was tired of playing mediator. Although the events of Infinity War had caused most of the issues to smooth over, there still was one problem: the case of Bucky Barnes.

Of course, Steve wanted his best friend to be able to live in the compound with them.

And of course, Tony didn’t want his mother’s murderer living under his roof.

Two very valid points in Natasha’s opinion, but she couldn’t argue for both, letting them hash it out for a while to get out their steam.

Finally, it got too much. Natasha stood. The room silenced, and she relished in the fact that she still had the ability to do that.

“Tony, you know it’s not Bucky’s fault. Steve, show a bit of sympathy, his mother was murdered. Both of you need to chill out and see it from the other’s perspective. Now can the rest of us leave because it has pretty much nothing to do with the rest of us and we’re all bored of you two bickering like you didn’t miss each other so much you would cry yourselves to sleep. Now can you come to an agreement, or will the rest of us have to go because you’re going to keep on for a couple more days?”

Silence.

No one answered. Natasha raised an eyebrow at Tony.

He too stood, sighing deeply, before shaking his head. “Steve, if he so much as _looks_ at Peter the wrong way, he’s out, you hear me?”

Steve blinked at Tony, then Natasha, then Tony again, as if he wasn’t quite comprehending all that had just happened.

Tony sighed again and started walking out. “One of you take Peter’s suitcase up to his room. It’s the first door on the left next to Vision’s old room. The rest of you can go do... whatever it is you do. Imma go tinker.”

And he was gone.

“Wait... was that a yes?” Steve asked, still lost.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Consider yourself lucky that Tony missed you, otherwise he’d probably say no. I’ll take the suitcase up to the kid. As sad as it is, I might be the only one he won’t freak out over.”

For once, Natasha was very wrong.

 

“OhmygoshIt’stheBlackWidowohmywordit’sNatashaRomanoffIcan’tbelievethisishappeningrightnowohmygosh-!” Peter fell off the ceiling. “Ow.”

Natasha squinted at him. “Tony wanted me to bring you your suitcase.”

Peter blinked from his crumpled position on the floor. “What?”

Ever since the ceremony in the red room, Natasha had just assumed that all maternal instincts had vanished from her brain. Then he looked up at her with those huge adoring brown eyes and she began to realize that she’d assumed entirely incorrectly. She began to understand what had made Tony go so soft.

She smirked a bit at his predicament but let him get up on his own. He brushed himself off as an excuse to do something with the energy he always seemed to have pent up underneath his skin.

“Tony wanted someone to bring your suitcase upstairs. Figured you might find me a bit less... fantastical than any of the others.”

Peter met her eyes, looking supremely confused. “But... you’re the Black Widow.”

Natasha’s heart warmed, but before she could respond he seemed to realize how she’d found him and his face paled. “Oh my gosh, about the hanging on the ceiling... um... I really-”

“Relax little Spider,” she said, setting down the suitcase by the door. “I already knew.”

He seemed to calm a bit at that, but he tugged at his sleeve and wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “Oh. Um, if you would... not tell the others that would be...” he huffed a nervous laugh, “fantastic. Not that you would lie to them, or anything, I couldn’t ask you to do that, but-”

Natasha laughed a bit through her nose. “It’s alright. I lie to them all the time. Besides, we arachnids must stick together.”

Peter grinned. “Arachnids. Right. Uh, thanks for... bringing up my stuff.”

Natasha nodded, turning to leave. “Keep Stark in line for me, little Spider.”

Even as she walked away she could practically feel his star-struck grin. No wonder Tony had become all parental. That mini spider had him wrapped around his finger. He might have them all wrapped around his little finger pretty soon. And Natasha realized that she didn’t think she would mind if he did.


	2. Bucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one isn't my favorite, I will admit, but I think it is necessary for the storyline and who doesn't love Bucky and Peter's relationship?
> 
> Set somewhere in between the previous chapter of this fic and chapter 2 of ‘5 times the Avengers almost found out Peter’s identity’
> 
> I hope that you don't hate it! :D

The entire week following his embarrassing meeting with the Avengers, Peter had managed to convince himself that it was a one-time thing. They were probably just there to get some Accords stuff worked out and would be back to living wherever they’d been living before. Right? I mean, the news had said absolutely nothing about the Avengers moving back into the compound, and the media would have surely caught on to something as important as that, right?

Right?

And despite both Ned, and MJ, _and_ May, calling him an idiot for overthinking it, Peter decided that he would not get his hopes up. Tony would have told him if they were staying. He wouldn’t have to ~~get over-excited~~ worry about seeing the Avengers again. Or the Avengers that had been there, anyway. Peter was very disappointed when Thor hadn’t shown up.

Anyway, the point was that Peter had told himself so many times that it would just be him and Tony over the weekend, that he’d actually begun to believe it and thus was thoroughly unprepared to walk into the compound after being dropped off by Happy and witnessing the Winter Soldier eating cereal at the kitchen counter.

He was so surprised he dropped his suitcase on his foot.

Bucky spun around, sliding off the bench, and dropped into a defensive stance before the first cuss word could even escape Peter’s lips.

Time seemed to freeze. They blinked at each other. Waited for the other to move first.

So, Peter did, raising on hand. “Hey.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Peter. Parker. I’m, uh, Tony’s...”

“I didn’t know Tony had a kid.”

Peter cocked his head at the former assassin. “Uh... he doesn’t? Why does everyone think I’m his kid? I’m just an intern!”

Bucky relaxed. “Oh. I remember now. Steve told me about you.”

It was Peter’s turn to be wary. “What’d he say?”

“That you are not to be looked at in the wrong way, spoken to in the wrong way, or touched. Just to be safe.” Bucky smirked at Peter, who looked even more confused. “Tony’s words, not Steve’s.”

Peter smiled a bit at that. “Ohhhhhhh.”

Bucky sat back down on his stool. “You can join me if you want. People don’t bother me.”

“Really? I thought people you didn’t know made you uncomfortable.”

Bucky turned back from his cereal. “How’d you know that?”

Peter shrugged, leaving his suitcase on the floor and sauntering over the kitchen area. “Just noticed.”

He seemed to find that amusing. “Just noticed, huh?”

“Yeah,” Peter said, grabbing a cold slice of pizza and some orange juice from the fridge. “Not like Tony. Tony is better around people.”

Bucky was silent, and Peter turned, hoping that by bringing up Tony, he wasn’t killing the mood, but Bucky just looked thoughtful. “How so?”

He shrugged again and sat down. “He enjoys others company despite denying it. It makes him feel... cared for. But I suppose Tony doesn’t like strangers.”

Bucky nodded gravely as if this revelation was the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe. “You’re pretty observant.”

“Thanks, I guess. So, why’d you tell me you didn’t mind people?”

Bucky thought about it. “I don’t mind you.”

“But you don’t know me.”

“Just had a feeling.”

Peter took a huge bite of pizza, observing the Winter Soldier. “So, uh, where’d your metal arm go?”

Bucky snorted, looking down at the empty metal socket. “My old one was blown off by Tony. Then the Wakandan’s made me another, but it was more for war than for... living.”

Peter squinted at it. “Maybe I could make you a new one.”

Bucky looked at him quizzically. “Uh, kid? I don’t know if you’d be able to-”

Peter just waved him off, still observing the metal connecting to the skin. “I know what I’m doing. Mostly. I might need a bit of help from Tony, but I don’t think he’d mind.”

He outright laughed at that. “Tony hates me, kid. I think he would mind.”

Peter met Bucky’s gaze and shook his head. “He doesn’t hate you. You were just an easier target than Steve.”

“What?”

“Tony was... at a bit of a low point for a while. I wanted to know what was wrong, so I had my friend hack into his suit’s footage and I watched what happened. He didn’t really try to attack you until Steve admitted that he’d known. I mean, you’re not his favorite person in the world, but he more hates that you represent Steve’s betrayal than he hates you.”

Bucky just stared at him for a second, spoon hovering between the bowl and his mouth. “That’s... actually really insightful. What the heck? Where’d Tony find you?”

Peter grinned. “Thanks... uh... I’m from Queens actually,” then he frowned. “So, do you _want_ me to make you a new arm, or not? Granted, it wouldn’t look... as cool, unfortunately, but it would probably make things a bit more convenient for you. I could maybe even make it where you could feel with it, which, I have to admit, would be _awesome_. It’s just going to be extremely difficult to- wait a second.”

“What?” Bucky asked, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

Peter looked down at his pizza, then the bowl of cereal. “Why are you eating cereal at 4:30 in the evening?”

It probably shouldn’t have been that funny, but the look of utter confusion on Peter’s face and the spontaneousness of the question caused Bucky to laugh so hard he started tearing up. Every time that Peter asked him ‘What?!’ incredulously, made it harder to stop.

And that’s how Tony found Bucky laughing his head off with a very puzzled/amused Peter Parker sitting across from him.

Tony didn’t alert them to his presence at all. He just turned and left, with a small smile that he couldn’t quite explain. Then again, maybe he could, he just didn’t like admitting it.

That kid. That kid could charm a rock if he felt like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not think that Bucky has the emotional range of a rock, just to clarify if there is any confusion :)


	3. Steve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set between first and second chapters of '5 time the Avengers almost found out Peter's identity'

Peter had mixed feelings about Steve Rogers. It would be very difficult to see exactly what Tony had gone through and not be a little mad at Steve. That being said, Peter admired him for doing what he thought was right _._ And there was the fact that he was _Captain freaking America._ So yeah, mixed emotions. He’d thought a lot about how he would act if he ever met Steve again. He pictured that he’d be cool and collected and wouldn’t stutter once because Heaven forbid he’d fanboy in front of Cap.

But he never imagined finding him in Tony’s lab at three in the morning.

Granted, Peter wasn’t technically supposed to be there either, but he was pretty sure Tony wouldn’t be _that_ mad if he found out. He’d been out patrolling until two, only stopping when he’d completely run out of web fluid. Yes, he had a curfew. No, he rarely followed it. It’s just that Peter only patrolled this part of New York on the weekends when he was at Tony’s and he had to make up for the entire week of crime he hadn’t stopped. That was a logical argument, right?

He was finishing his last batch of fluid when the floor creaked behind him and he whirled, surprised that his sixth sense hadn’t gone off.

But it was just Steve.

They stared at each other, blinking.

“Uh, hi?” Steve made it sound like a question. “Why are you up this early?”

Peter tried to compose himself enough for a logical answer. Words. Those were supposed to be coming out of his mouth. Right. “Uh, I... never went to sleep. I was... patrolling.”

Steve looked positively affronted. “And you’re allowed to stay out this late?!”

Peter laughed nervously, fiddling with the web cartridge in his hands. “Not exactly. I just... I’m not good at sleeping.” He looked down at his hands. “Got too much energy.”

Steve sighed. “I suppose I know what that’s like. What are you doing down here, anyway?”

 _I could ask you the same question,_ Peter thought, but he just shrugged. “Just working on web fluid. I ran out.”

Steve gave him this look, like: _Kid, I have no idea what that means._

Peter laughed. “Uh, you know. Webs. I shoot webs. I ran out of the stuff that makes up the webs.”

“Oh. Right.”

They stood there awkwardly for a minute, neither wanting to keep initiating the conversation

Peter turned back to his work. “What are you doing here, Mr. Rogers?”

“Steve’s fine,” he answered. Or rather, didn’t answer. “No need with formalities.”

“Fine with me. It’ll annoy Tony if he’s the only one I use them on.” Peter let it slide, grinning at the image of the exasperated look Tony always got when he heard Peter call him Mr. Stark.

Peter heard Steve almost smile. Perhaps he and Tony weren’t the worst off after all.

“Hey, kid?”

Peter finished closing the last cartridge and turned. “Yes, Captain?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, making him look even more Dorito-shaped. “You weren’t planning on going back to sleep, were you?”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “No, why?”

Steve fully smiled then. “You wanna go on a run with me?”

Peter’s jaw dropped his fingers that had been drumming on his thigh halting. “Um, yes?! You’re serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes! I mean... that would be awesome, Mr- Steve.” He shoveled all the cartridges into his arms and backed towards the entrance. “I’ll just... go change into running clothes. It’ll just be a minute.”

Steve chuckled a bit. “Okay, kid. I’ll be in the lobby.”

“Yes, sir.” He would have saluted if his hands weren’t full.

 

As soon as he’d changed he ran as fast as possible downstairs, only hesitating at the lab. “What was Steve doing in there?” he murmured to himself.

He slid in, promising himself he’d only be a minute. Running over to Tony’s main work table he searched quickly for anything Steve may have taken. But nothing was missing. Everything was in its place. And then Peter spotted it: a sticky note adhered to the bottom of the computer screen.

It read: _Surprisingly, being around Peter has helped him a lot. Now that they’re hanging out a bit more, he’s been a bit happier. I think he’s glad he’s got someone else besides me in the compound. Peter’s a good kid, Tony. I know you know that I just don’t want you to hog him all to yourself. Although I think we both know Natasha would kill you if you did. -Steve._

Peter just stood there for a minute, oddly touched. But who had Steve been talking about? Bucky. He must have been talking about Bucky. So, he was helping? Wait were they discussing Bucky’s issues with social interactions? And Tony wanted to help him too? Peter shook his head. Somedays he understood Tony, but today was not one of those days.

Peter sighed. Living with the Avengers on the weekends was exhausting. Peter slammed his palm to his forehead. Running with Steve. He’d spaced for a minute.

He sprinted down the stairs, halfway out of breath by the time he’d gotten out to where Steve was waiting.

“Out of breath already kid? Are you sure you can handle this?” Teasing. Captain America was teasing him. Then again, he got dad jokes from Iron Man, so he could handle this.

“I’ll be fine. Shouldn’t you be worried about keeping up, old man?” Peter asked, grinning.

Steve looked shocked for half a second before barking out a laugh. “You sure you’re not Stark’s kid? That’s something he’d say.”

Peter snickered. “Like Tony would be caught dead doing cardio.”

He smirked. “True. Now let’s get going before he gets down here and realizes you’re not sleeping.”

“I’m surprised he _is_ ,” Peter muttered, following Steve who began jogging away from the compound.

“I may have had something to do with that.”

Peter smiled. If Tony was listening to Steve telling him to sleep, then perhaps they were better off than he’d initially thought. Maybe Steve wasn’t so bad. He was _Captain freaking America_ after all.

 

They were well suited to run together, Peter’s enhanced body being able to keep up with the super soldier’s.

And Peter, once used to Steve’s presence, somehow managed to find enough breath to talk his ear off, but Steve didn’t seem to mind.

He seemed content to listen as Peter went on about how Natasha had joined him and Tony on watching the Flash, and how she seemed to enjoy it, surprisingly. And how once Rhodey had found out they were watching it, also decided to join, commenting along with Tony at the cheesiness of the whole thing until Natasha gave them both her glare of doom and they’d watch in silence. And how Bucky’s new arm was coming along, but a complication with the metal plating had caused a delay. And how Flash had actually been... not as horrible lately once he’d figured out that Peter did, in fact, know Tony Stark. And how MJ was actually a lot smarter than she let on and helped him a lot with his English and History. Ned was the best at math and computer programming. Peter was best at science though, hands down. Then he started explaining his web fluid. About halfway through discussing his patrols, Steve started laughing.

“What?”

Steve shook his head, still grinning. “Don’t let me stop you. It’s interesting.”

Peter gave him a wary glance, before picking up where he’d left off. “And you know, I think Happy does like me. He just gets annoyed easily. I wonder what it is...” he drifted off for a second before starting again. “He and MJ kinda act similar, and _she_ likes me.” Then he blushed, but he hoped Steve couldn’t tell. “I mean, not _like likes_ me, but we’re friends. I think. She’s kinda hard to figure out.” Peter moved on, but the warmth hesitated to leave his face. The running must’ve been catching up to him.

He saw Steve smirk a bit from the edge of his vision.

“Anyway, yeah, that’s me. What about you? What’s it like being ‘an Avenger’.” Peter used air quotations, breathing heavily as they rounded the large pond on the Compound’s property for the thirteenth time.

Steve chuckled a bit. “Haven’t you asked Tony?”

Peter huffed. “He’ll give me: ‘you’ll find out when you become one, kid’ and not answer.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s... a satisfying job. But heartbreaking too. Lots of memories, good and bad. We’re all in it together, though, so that makes it easier.”

They ran the last lap in silence, Steve immersed in his thoughts, and Peter too winded to say much.

When they jogged back to the Compound, Tony was waiting for them in the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest.

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter called, heading for the fridge, but Tony stepped in his way.

“You didn’t get sleep last night, did you?”

Peter frowned. “You did, surprisingly. How long did you sleep?”

“Stop dodging the question.”

“How long _did_ you sleep, Tony?” Steve asked, walking around him and opening the fridge. Tony glared at him as he tossed a water bottle to Peter.

“Stop helping him.”

“Just answer.”

“Longer than usual, let’s just say that. You, young man,” Tony redirected, “were in my lab this morning, weren’t you?”

Peter shrugged, opening the bottle and chugging half of it. “Maybe. I ran out of web fluid.”

Tony’s eyes flashed. “And how, may I ask, did you do that?”

Peter meandered over the barstools and sat. “Patrol. How else?”

“How late were you out?”

Peter didn’t answer, just took another swig.

“How _late_ , Peter?”

“I’d say around two, from when I found him,” Steve answered for him, sitting next to Peter, who gave him a betrayed glare. “Hey, just cause I think Tony’s a bit of a hypocrite for getting on your case, doesn’t mean he’s wrong. You need to sleep too.”

“Really Peter, two?” Tony asked, pulling the iced coffee from the fridge and pouring himself a cup. “I told you eleven. That’s like, a three-hour difference.”

Peter huffed. “I can’t sleep anyway. I might as well help people.”

Tony’s hands seemed to stall a bit, but when he turned, he still held the façade of sternness. “I just want you to try, that’s all.”

Peter thought about it for a minute before replying. “I’ll try if you will.”

Tony seemed surprised by that, blinking once at him, then at Steve, who smirked and tilted his head towards him. “Kid’s right. Don’t be a hypocrite.”

The billionaire sighed. “Fine. But that means you _follow the rules._ Got that little Spider-baby?”

Peter stuck his tongue out at him, which seemed to solidify Tony’s point, but he didn’t care.

“So, you two decided to go running, huh? Didn’t invite Sam?”

Peter grinned. “Didn’t want him to get left behind.”

Both adults laughed. They glanced at each other as if surprised they were still able to laugh together. Peter’s heart warmed a bit.

They’d be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don't hate it! Constructive criticism always appreciated!


	4. The Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the beginning skips around a bit, just push through until the duet.

There were some things that Peter was fantastic at that had come directly from the Spider-bite. Acrobatics, arm-wrestling, gym class, dodging spitballs... but some things were 100% Peter Parker. For example, Peter had been the one to ace all his classes every single year for his entire high school career, not Spider-man.

But there was one thing in particular that was also 100% Peter Parker that no one except him and May and a few other people knew about.

Peter played the piano.

And he absolutely _loved_ it. He and May didn’t have an actual piano, but she’d gotten him a keyboard for his fifth birthday, and he’d not stopped playing it since. It had been the thing that had gotten him through the day before he became a vigilante. He had less time to do it now, but he still made time to practice.

May loved it because it was an outlet for his energy that didn’t put him in danger.

Ned loved it because he thought Peter was amazing at it and would listen for hours whenever they built Lego sets together and Peter got too fidgety to keep at it, so he played background music while Ned finished.

Michelle refused to admit that she loved it, but often he would see her wipe away a tear from the corner of her eye as he played.

Tony loved it because it reminded him of his mother. Sometimes he and Peter would do duets together. (But that was rare)

However, no one else really knew. Peter was convinced that if he told anyone else at school, it would get around to Flash, and he would never let it go, and he was too shy to play in front of anyone at the compound that wasn’t Tony. So, four people knew.

And he was okay with that.

Once the Avengers moved into the compound, playing the grand piano had become slightly more difficult. He would play on his keyboard at home to keep his memory sharp, but it wasn’t the same as playing the gleaming oak piano that Tony had bought for the compound.

(Actually, he’d only bought it after finding out that Peter played, but Peter didn’t know that because he would try to convince Tony he wasn’t worth buying a piano for.)

So, Peter snuck in a few songs now and then whenever the Avengers weren’t around to ease his agitations. He played whenever he got too energetic to keep working in the lab and tried doing something while walking on the ceiling or parkouring over tables. Tony would just give him this look, like, _kid, go play_.

Peter would ask if the Avengers were around, and if the answer was no, he’d go play. If the answer was yes, he would go to the gym and blow off some steam.

He knew, eventually, the Avengers would be around, and they’d hear him play, but it was like revealing his identity. Stressful to think about. To be put off until further notice.

This time was no different. Peter drove Tony crazy. Tony gave him the look. He asked if they were around. Tony said no.

To be fair to Tony, the Avengers _had_ been off on a mission. He’d had no idea they’d be so quick about it and show up halfway through Peter’s song.

Perhaps Peter could have played it off as him just messing around with the instrument if he’d noticed right away when they’d arrived and stopped. But he always got so engrossed in the songs he played, that nothing short of the end of the world could have jarred him from the notes he produced from the keys.

The song he was playing this particular afternoon was memorized. In fact, it was one that Tony had taught him. It was supposed to be a duet, but Tony didn’t like playing unless he was in a particularly good mood, and Peter doubted today would be one of those days. So Peter played his part, sliding into the role of a pianist as he brought out the lilting melody that shouldn’t have been possible to accomplish without a partner. But somehow, he did it, completely oblivious to the just recently arrived Avengers who’d heard the song and followed it, as if compelled by the music. They slid into the room silently, not wishing to disturb the young boy that seemed to have no shortage of talents.

The melody twisted and rose as Peter’s fingers danced upon the keys, pulling the restless energy from him and turning it into raw emotion.

Tony heard the song from the lab a floor below and made his way upstairs as he usually did after it got too difficult not to just sit and listen. He turned the corner from the stairs to the hallway facing the piano room, surprised to find his team members, hovering in the doorway, listening. Tony blinked the glassiness from his eyes that this particular song usually produced and frowned at their backs. They didn’t even turn to look at him, so engrossed by the music being produced by his young protégé.

His frown deepened as he realized they hadn’t even changed out of their Avenging clothes. Ew.

Peter’s fingers danced across the keys, going faster than Tony’s ever could until he hit the climax of the song and he held it, unknowingly touching the hearts of everyone in the room. He made his way back down, drawing out the ending until the last note was played, so softly you couldn’t have heard it if someone had breathed. But no one dared breathe for fear of missing a single note.

Peter’s foot lifted off the pedal, seconds before his shoulders tensed and he spun around, anxiety written across his face.

No one said a word.

“OhmygoshI’msosorryfordisturbingyouifyouwerebusyI’lljustgoaheadanddienowbecausethat’ssuperembarassingI’msoverysorryI’mgonnaleavenowhaveaniceday.” Peter stood and tried to scoot around everyone, but no one moved.

Tony slid between his fellow teammates, who were just sort of standing there with their mouths open, breaking through to get to Peter. “I think you broke them.”

“I thought you said they weren’t here!” Peter hissed.

“They weren’t. Scott, are you _crying?_ ”

Scott sniffed. _“No._ Maybe. I just get emotional, okay?”

Steve laughed. “It’s okay, Scott. I almost cried too.”

“Was it that bad?” Peter murmured, half joking.

Tony barked a laugh. “Peter, you were fantastic. Look, Natasha is smiling. Do you know how hard it is to get a genuine smile out of her?”

Nat glared at him.

“See?”

Peter laughed nervously. “Sorry if I was disturbing you guys.”

 _“Sorry?”_ Sam asked, incredulous.

“Seriously?” Wanda asked. “That was fantastic! Who taught you?”

Peter shrugged, pointedly ignoring Tony’s glare. “At first myself mostly. And then Tony started teaching me.”

Tony gave a resigned sigh as everyone turned to look at him. “Before anyone asked, I won’t be giving out lessons. That was a one-time thing.”

“You know how to play?” It was Clint’s turn to be incredulous.

“I have many talents I have had yet to disclose to you. Now I’m going to have to ask you to all get changed because your sweaty outfits are stinking up the whole building.”

“Now wait just a second, Tony,” Rhodey, who had known very well that Tony could play, interjected, “Why don’t you two play us a song?”

Peter turned to him. “It _is_ a duet.”

Tony shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

“Aw, come on, man,” said Sam, “We wanna hear you play!”

“Play for us, Stark,” Bucky said, grinning at him. “And if not for us, for Peter.”

“Please, Mr. Stark?” Peter turned his puppy dog eyes to him and he sighed.

“Fine. One song. But before that, I want you all to go change. I wasn’t kidding about the smell.”

The Avengers grumbled, shuffling out of the room to change their clothes.

Tony glared at Peter who, in turn, smirked. “I’m beginning to understand why you hate playing in front of people.” The kid just laughed.

“Do you need the music?”

“Nah, I’ve got it memorized.”

They situated themselves on the piano, Tony warming his fingers up by playing chords until the whole team had returned. They glanced at each other once and then began.

Peter was as fantastic as ever with the melody, causing it to skip around so quickly, Tony could barely keep up. The harmony tore through Tony’s body like it usually did, causing his fingers to move faster and his posture to straighten. His eyes shone as he played, remembering the way his mother would tap his knee when he missed a note, and press a kiss against his forehead whenever he completed a song.

‘Beautiful. Just like you,’ she would say, and he would complain about how he was most definitely not beautiful. But glancing at Peter, he understood what his mother had meant.

Usually, he shook as he cried, releasing pent-up energy, but this time the energy escaped through his fingertips, and they stayed as steady as humanly possible. The two pianists were completely in synch, despite Peter’s uncanny way of speeding up and slowing down throughout the song to create more emotion.

The others were even more shocked than they’d been before, swaying in time to the song. Wanda closed her eyes, for the melody reminded her of Vision. It reminded Steve of his mom and Clint of his kids. For Rhodey, it was like seeing his best friend before his father had cast him aside and his parents had left him.

It reminded them of family.

They neared the climax of the song, the notes building upon one another until they reached the tipping point, and Tony reached over Peter’s arms to press a note. And then the melody ran back down, the harmony collapsing in on itself until Peter alone was playing the last chord.

Peter pulled back the pedal. Silence.

“That... that was beautiful,” Natasha whispered, blinking against the glassiness of her eyes. Tony turned, swiping at the last tear that fell.

“Yeah, where’d you learn to play like that, Tony?” Steve asked. Tony saw it dawn on him too late.

“My mom. She... she taught me.”

Tense silence.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say she’s very proud,” Peter said, and Tony smiled.

“Thanks, kid. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Are you kidding me? Not so bad?! That was fantastic, I think cried harder the second time!” Scott interjected, and everyone laughed. “No, I’m serious. I think I did.”

“No shame, no shame. I got a little teary-eyed,” Sam said, punching Scott in the shoulder.

“I mean, if Sam cried, wow. That’s... that’s an accomplishment right there,” Bucky grinned at Peter.

“You were very good, Peter. I’m sure your Aunt loves your music.”

“Oh, yeah, she does. I have a lot of energy, you know? And it’s a good way to use it up without hurting myself.”

Clint just shook his head. “What can’t you do? You’re a genius, you invent things, you managed to charm all the Avengers, _and_ you can play the piano? Like, are you an angel or something?”

Peter shrugged, glancing at Tony with a small smirk like he was sharing an inside joke. “I can’t throw a very good punch.”

Tony raised an eyebrow at the blatant lie but went with it. “That’s true. Peter here’s a skimpy little thing.”

Peter snorted. “Could still beat you up, old man.”

The other Avengers laughed, but Tony just shook his head. “Then who’d invite you over to the compound?”

“Um, I think every single one of us would invite Peter over. Especially if he beat you up,” Clint said, turning to go. “Don’t hog the intern, Stark.

“He’s my intern!” Tony cried, but everyone was already leaving, wiping away stray tears.

Tony turned to Peter. “You have those guys wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”

Peter just frowned. “Huh?”

The billionaire sighed. “And, of course, you have no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you like it! I wrote this chapter in a day, so constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	5. Wanda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anything seems OOC please tell me. This is both Wanda and Tony friendly, and if you hate either of them please don't leave nasty comments about them because they both made some bad choices but they both made up for them, and they're both really amazing people who do their best, and I just really love all my characters, please don't be mean to them!

Wanda preferred to be alone. Most of the Avengers did. Tony liked holing himself up in his lab. Steve liked sitting alone and drawing. Bucky just didn’t like being around other people. Natasha wasn’t exactly social either. But Wanda liked being a different kind of alone. She liked being alone with her brother. She liked being alone with Vision.

She would often lock herself in her room and close her eyes and play her memories of them against the canvas of her shut eyelids. She preferred to be alone so that she could be with them. So she wouldn’t feel so lonely.

There was, however, one major flaw to the other Avengers trying to be alone: Peter. Peter absolutely _loved_ people. He got to Tony first, causing him to open up bit by bit until Wanda began to realize that he was more selfless than he’d seemed before. More compassionate. Then it was Natasha, who’d become almost motherly to the teen, volunteering to ‘babysit’ as she called it whenever Tony had to go to meetings on the weekends. Then came Bucky who was surprisingly compliant about Peter talking to him and began to smile every once in a while, to someone besides Steve. He’d gotten to all of them, slowly but surely, and they’d begun to crack under the pressure of how absolutely lovable this kid was.

But not Wanda. No, she refused. She had decided that the closest she would ever get to another person – android or otherwise – would be to trust them to have her back. No more heart-to-hearts with Clint or Steve. No more laughing with Natasha over the boy’s idiocy. None of it. She’d trust them not to get her killed during missions, but that was it.

And then she formally met him.

And thought, _screw it._

There hadn’t been anything really peculiar about the meeting. He knocked on her door. She opened it with a flick of her hand and there he was: Tony Stark’s intern with a huge grin on his face. Wanda squinted at him from her bed. “Hello?”

“Hi, uh...” he glanced at his shoes and tugged at his sleeve. “I just wanted to, you know, introduce myself. Formally. I’m Peter. Parker. I’m sure you probably knew that. I mean, not just cause you can read minds. Because Tony talks about me. Not, like, too much. He doesn’t love me or anything. Like... I’m not his son, in case you were wondering. Cause Clint-”

Wanda’s overwhelmed laugh cut him off. “It’s alright, I understand. Clint is an idiot anyway. No one really listens to him.”

Wanda hadn’t realized Peter was tense the whole time until he relaxed, releasing a nervous laugh. “Good. I mean, yeah... good. I guess I’ll... see you around?”

He looked too hopeful to be looking at her like that. She was a murderer after all. He should stay away from her. But something about the way that he couldn’t seem to stop moving, or talking, or glancing around like he had more energy than he knew how to deal with caused her to hesitate. She smiled at him, and though her promise to herself was echoing in the back of her head, she ignored it. “Of course.”

His grin widened, and then he was gone.

Wanda frowned. Her heart ached, and she didn’t know why. He was much too familiar. She shouldn’t have said yes. But what else could she have said with those huge brown eyes gazing hopefully at her?

 

Their second meeting was a bit more unconventional.

She usually went for tea, but today was definitely a coffee day. To be more specific an extra shot of espresso day. She’d had some interesting dreams last night that left her feeling less rested than when she’d initially gone to sleep.

So, her first stop had, of course, been to Starbucks.

She would have usually just left immediately after getting her drink but was too tired to do much other than to sit at a table and drink, waiting for the caffeine to make its way through her system.

“And then I was like, absolutely not Mr. Stark, I’m not going to steal Cap’s shield for you, so you can draw on it. That would be like graffitiing a national monument! And then he kicked me out of his lab. He said I would get to come back once I wrote him an apology letter for obsessing over Cap, but I just hung out in the kitchen with the others. To be honest, I think he was jealous, but he won’t admit it, because he doesn’t like talking about his feelings.”

“Tony Stark? Jealous?”

“You had to be there I guess.”

Wanda turned. Sure enough, not twenty feet away, sat Peter with two of his friends, coffee in hand and talking their ears off. She was debating whether or not to say something when Peter’s gaze shifted to hers and he practically lit up.

“Miss Maximoff?”

She smiled a bit and stood, making her way over to Peter’s table.

“Wanda is fine. I’m only in my twenties, you know.”

The girl sitting next to Peter seemed to perk up when she walked over, and the two boys looked absolutely star-struck.

“Wanda Maximoff. A legend. It’s an honor, ma’am,” the girl said, reaching across the table to shake Wanda’s hand. “I’m MJ, by the way.”

Wanda was a bit flustered as she shook MJ’s hand. Most people who recognized her absolutely hated her, but this young girl seemed awed.

“Wow, you got promoted to calling her MJ immediately,” the boy who wasn’t Peter interjected. “That’s huge. We got to start calling her that, like, five years after we first meet her.”

“What is your name?” Wanda asked, hoping to direct the conversation away from how amazing she was. These kids were amazed by a killer. A _killer_.

“That’s Ned,” Peter interjected. “These are my best friends. I didn’t know you guys drank coffee. I mean, other than Mr. Stark. He thinks a shot of espresso is considered a meal.” Peter rolled his eyes.

Wanda cocked her head at him. “He does seem to have some unhealthy habits.”

Peter blinked at her warily, as if he were getting defensive. “Yeah. He sometimes forgets that he needs to take care of himself instead of just other people.”

Wanda may have argued with him about Stark’s character a while ago, but she’d learned that Tony Stark was more than just the outward image he’d portrayed his whole life. She had also learned that Peter seemed stubborn enough that arguing would get her nowhere.

Her chest ached. _All too familiar._

A sad smile flickered across her face. “Yes. Turns out we Avengers are terrible role models.”

Ned’s jaw dropped, and MJ raised an eyebrow, but Peter just looked confused. “Why?”

Wanda blinked. _Why? What do you mean why? We’re all killers._

“We all have our issues. Some of them more public than others, I suppose.”

“Like Stark’s?” MJ asked, looking sideways at Peter.

Peter glared.

Wanda smirked. “I was talking about myself, actually. If Peter’s anything to go by, then I’d say Tony’s a pretty good role model.”

The three teenagers seemed stunned. Her smile became kinder and she turned to Peter. “It was nice seeing you again. You are coming this weekend, yes?”

Peter nodded.

“Then I will see you then. Have a nice day.”

As she made her way out of the coffee shop, she heard Ned voice her own thoughts. “Did she just compliment Tony Stark?”

Did _I just compliment Tony?_ Wanda asked herself. She took one last glance at Peter chatting away with his friends and it hit her. She hadn’t been lying. If Peter was anything to go by, then perhaps Tony _was_ a pretty good role model.

Wanda shook her head at herself. Since when had a teenager she barely knew been able to change her perspective on Tony Stark?

 

Their third meeting was not on the weekend, as she’d predicted, but three days later, on a Thursday.

Wanda wasn’t exactly sure why she’d decided to leave her room. Perhaps she had gotten bored with moping and wanted to be productive. Perhaps she wanted to see another living person before the end of the day. Perhaps she had just wanted to walk around a bit.

She had definitely not, however, wanted to find herself alone in the kitchen with Tony Stark.

He hadn’t noticed her yet. Maybe she could leave, and she wouldn’t have to stumble through another tense conversation.

“I know you're there.”

Well, crap.

She walked towards the counter where he was sitting as he turned around. He looked surprised. “Oh, I thought you were Peter.”

She cocked her head at him, grabbing herself a cup and filling it with water to give herself something to do with her hands. “It is not the weekend.”

Tony laughed humorlessly, turning back to whatever he was working on. “No, but he likes popping in unannounced.” Then he frowned. “Unlike you. Why’d you decide to leave your room?”

She wanted to snap at him that it wasn’t his business but hesitated as she noticed the bags under his eyes and the stress pulling at his shoulders. He was trying. Perhaps too hard. She heard a voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like Steve’s: _‘Give him a chance.’_ She took a breath. “I don’t know. Wanted to get out, I suppose.”

Tony nodded, but he wasn’t really paying attention.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

He shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Why?”

“Let’s make something.”

Tony blinked, and his absolutely shocked expression might have made her laugh if she didn’t think he would yell at her. “You want to...?”

“Make something. It’s been a while since we all had dinner together.”

“Yeah, but...”

“Come on, whatever you’re working on can wait.” She didn’t really know why she wanted to so badly, but she just wanted to... _give him a chance_. To not be so hostile towards him.

Tony didn’t seem to really know what to do with himself. He stared at her for a minute, then looked back down at his work, then his trembling hands, before opening his mouth and snapping it shut.

Another trail of thoughts poked at her brain and she turned, just as Peter burst into the room with a loud, “Mr. Stark!”

Peter froze as he saw Wanda, then glanced at Tony, who seemed to be relieved to not have to break the silence. “Hey, kid, whatcha doing here?” he asked before giving Wanda a look that said, ‘I told you so,’ that made her almost feel like smiling.

“Uh, I... May dropped me off. She’s got a date tonight.”

“Oooh. Aunt Hottie’s got a date. So, I’m assuming she’ll want you to spend the night?” Tony winked at Peter who turned beet red.

“Mr. Staaaark.”

“What? Doesn’t she?”

Peter nodded sullenly, putting his head in his hands. Wanda giggled.

“Peter, do you want to help me make something?”

Tony relaxed out of the corner of her eye, but she let it go.

“Make something?”

“Yes! Like, for dinner. Tony declined my generous offer, but if you wanted to join, I would be happy to get the help!” she said, watching Peter lite up.

“Absolutely! And you probably don’t want Tony cooking anyway. He’s terrible,” Peter said, bounding over to the counter and pointedly ignoring Tony sticking out his tongue. “May rarely ever lets me make stuff because I once claimed a long time ago that I was better than her, and she got kinda mad.” Peter grinned, “But sometimes I sneak in baking some cookies when she’s gone. The oven has only ever threatened to explode once. Okay, technically twice, but that was Ned’s fault.”

Wanda laughed. “Alright, Peter, what do you want to make?”

Peter hopped up and sat on the counter, kicking his legs back and forth like a toddler. “Let’s make... steak sandwiches. Those are good.”

Tony nodded, half-listening. “Yeah, yeah, steak is good.”

“What are you even working on?” Peter asked, craning his neck to look at the papers that Tony was shuffling through.

Tony snatched the papers from Peter’s sight. “None of your business, you nosy little kid. This is adult stuff. I’m adulting.”

Peter wrinkled his nose. “That’s not a word.”

“I’m Tony Stark. It’s a word if I say it is.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “Stop distracting my partner, Stark. We’re cooking. Which is _actually_ a word.”

Tony barked a laugh, still not looking from his work. “Oooh. Partners. An upgrade from intern, don’t you think Petey?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Perhaps I’ll quite my intern gig and be a full-time cooking partner.”

Tony’s head snapped up from his work. “Don’t even think about it.”

Peter shrugged nonchalantly. “You said it, not me. Besides, you don’t treat me very well.”

Wanda turned around with the façade of looking for supplies, but in reality, she was mostly doing it to hide her grin. When she turned back around, Tony was giving her his ‘don’t steal my kid from me glare’, and she fully understood what she’d overheard Peter say at Starbucks about Tony Stark being jealous. For this glare had nothing to do with Ultron or Vision or being on Cap’s team. And yet it held the same protectiveness that she’d usually say was possessiveness. But perhaps not. Because even behind that glare was the hint of a smile.

“Wanda, I swear, if you steal my intern-”

She laughed. “Not to fear, Stark, you may have him back when we are finished. Now, Peter, check the fridge and see if we actually have steak?”

Peter gave her a look. “What do you say?”

Her smile was sad. “Please?”

Peter saluted and hopped off the counter.

It felt like her chest caved in. She understood now, why it was so bittersweet to talk to Peter. Why it was so hard not to love him.

Because he was almost Pietro incarnate. More innocent. More enthusiastic. Definitely smarter. But other than that, it was like seeing her brother again after years of being without him. He had the same half smile. The same sarcasm that existed just to cheer others. The same absolute recklessness that always got him in trouble. The same stubbornness, protectiveness, and constant chatter that always seemed annoying until it was gone. The same unwillingness to leave anyone out.

Her eyes meet Tony’s and his mouth quirked up just the smallest bit like he understood. And maybe he did, for surely he’d tried to keep a similar promise to himself up until Peter had pranced into his life. Her words to herself echoed in her head as Peter pulled the raw steak out of the fridge and handed it to her.

_I will never get close to someone again._

But she looked back at Peter again, who was trying to pick out a certain cup for each Avenger to set the table with.

And she thought, _screw it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's wondering, Tony didn't want to cook because his mom taught him. And in my last chapter, he was super emotional over piano playing, but he didn't want to have to do that again, especially without Peter, (though he'd never admit that) so, yeah. He wasn't being a butt, I promise.


	6. Sam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fic is a little weird because the beginning takes place just before chapter 4 of '5 times the Avengers almost found out Peter's identity' and halfway through if you were reading in chronological order, chapter 4 would occur, and THEN the rest of the fic happens. I tell you when that happens, so I hope it makes sense when you get there.
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: You must read/have read chapter four of the previous fic in this series for this chapter to make much sense. If you assume a couple things, you MIGHT be okay, but it'll be iffy.

In the past few weeks, Peter had gotten close to quite a few of the Avengers. He wouldn’t admit to it at first, claiming to himself that they were just being nice and that they didn’t actually, you know, care about him.

And then Natasha started helping him with his homework whenever Tony was busy. And Bucky let him braid his hair, which was still surreal. Steve’s runs with him became somewhat of a consistent thing. And he and Wanda cooked dinner and baked desserts every weekend that he came over.

Of course, he and Tony had grown closer than ever, and it was amusing to watch Tony try and come up with excuses whenever someone else wanted to hang out with Peter. Peter knew he was kinda protective.

But Peter began to wonder if _all_ the Avengers liked him. Most of them did, he was sure, but Sam and Clint seemed... overly sarcastic when it came to Peter Parker. Which was kinda funny in Sam’s case, because he’d been overly sarcastic with Spider-Man too.

So naturally, Peter did his absolute best to win them over. Clint, surprisingly, seemed willing to let Peter get closer to him. Once Tony suggested that Clint teach Peter how to play darts, well, Clint was very happy to find that Peter was a suitable opponent. In fact, he was the only suitable opponent of the Avengers that wouldn’t kill him if they lost. (Read: Natasha) Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be working with Sam.

Sam seemed very resistant to everything that Peter did and even went so far as to mock him whenever he got the chance. (Read: whenever Tony and Natasha weren’t around)

When Peter asked Tony about it, he just smirked a bit and shook his head. “I’m sure you’ll find some way to sway him into adoring the ground you walk on,” he’d said not even looking up from what he was working on.

Whatever the heck that meant.

He’d just about given up when he’d accidentally overheard a conversation two rooms over between Natasha, Steve, and Sam while he was working on some extra web fluid.

“Man, I don’t know why Parker keeps following me around like a lost puppy. It’s like he wants _everyone_ to like him, or something,” Sam’s voice jumped in front of Peter’s train of thoughts.

Peter’s hands halted, his whole body waiting to hear the response.

“Perhaps if you didn’t mock everything he said in a high-pitched voice, he’d be more inclined to let you be,” Nat responded, voice cold.

“Chill, momma Spider, it’s just a joke.”

Silence.

“Wait he actually thinks I’m serious when I mock him?” Sam asked, voice cracking a bit with surprise.

“Sam,” Steve said, setting something down with a thunk, “sometimes your total obliviousness just blows my mind.”

“Stranger Things,” Nat immediately responded.

“Dammit, Widow, how are you so good at this?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so obvious when you quote, Rogers,” she responded, and Peter could hear the smirk in her voice. “And watch your mouth!”

Peter could practically hear Sam’s eye-roll at the two’s game of ‘guess the quote’. “But seriously, does he think I’m being mean?”

“Well, wouldn’t you be a bit intimidated if an Avenger you didn’t know all that well just started mocking everything you said?” Steve asked.

Sam scoffed. “He’s too much like Stark to take it personally.”

Natasha laughed. “If you don’t think Tony takes things personally, I don’t think you know Tony very well.”

A beat. “Crap.”

Peter grinned, resuming his activities before Tony could ask what was wrong. The Falcon didn’t hate him. Nothing about this day could ruin that.

 

Chapter 4 of ‘5 times the Avengers almost found out Peter’s identity’ occurs.

 

So, he was wrong. After he’d finished his webbing formula, Tony had asked him to help with the new War Machine prototype, and the earthquake had happened, and his spidey-anxiety went nuts, and the Avengers freaked and thank the heavens Tony eventually got them out because Peter was on the verge of yet another panic attack. Yay.

Sam’s words echoed in his head: _“If you ever need to deal with that sort of stuff, I may be able to help. Feel free to talk anytime.”_

Peter let out a shuddered sigh, pretending like he didn’t notice Tony’s worried glance in his direction. “I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Already? It’s only nine?”

“Yeah. Tired you know?”

Tony nodded reaching out with a hand and hovering there for a second before Peter curled into him and Tony hugged him for the second time that day. It was not lost on him how amazing that thought was, that _Tony Stark_ was worried about him, and _Tony Stark_ hugged him twice. But that amazing-ness came with falling buildings and recurring nightmares, so it kind of balanced itself out.

Peter pulled away and made his way upstairs and to his bedroom. Perhaps he would get a good night’s sleep after all.

 

So, he was wrong. He was ripped into consciousness by yet another nightmare at about two in the morning, and his restlessness refused to let him sleep, so he emerged from his room, stumbling when his body caught up with him and the blood rushed to his head and blackened his vision.

He needed something sweet. Hot chocolate perhaps. Or, no, ice cream. Mint chip so he wouldn’t have to brush his teeth. He giggled a bit to himself at that. What would Mr. Stark say if he knew?

Peter meandered into the kitchen, feet stalling when the light was on.

Sam and Wanda looked up at him from the counter, the former surprisingly put together for two in the morning, and the latter looking like a truck had run her over.

“Peter? What are you doing up?” Wanda asked, trying to rub the exhaustion from her eyes and failing.

“Nightmare?” Sam asked, his voice surprisingly sympathetic.

Peter shrugged. “I wanted some ice cream.”

Both adults blinked. Sam looked about to protest when Wanda stood. “That’s a fantastic idea, actually!”

“Mint chip, so I don’t have to brush my teeth,” Peter muttered, focusing on each second that passed so as to forget about his nightmare.

Sam looked at him like he was crazy. “That logic is so messed up.”

Peter shrugged again, shuffling to one of the bar stools and plopping down as Wanda rummaged through the freezer. “What are you guys doing up?”

“I had a nightmare,” Wanda replied, reemerging with a tub of mint chip and a tub of raspberry. “And Sam couldn’t sleep. Sam, you want one?”

Sam sighed. “Why the hell not? Coffee flavor.”

Peter quirked an eyebrow. “That has caffeine in it.”

“Says the kid whose father drinks espresso shots for his midnight snack.”

Peter giggled. “True. Wait, no. He’s not my dad.”

Sam smirked, and Peter stuck his tongue out at him.

Wanda put the last container on the counter along with three spoons. “Enjoy.”

Peter immediately popped the lid off his container and dug in, grinning with a mouth full of green ice cream when Sam gave him a look of utter revulsion. “I’ll have to agree with Stark on this one. That stuff’s nasty.”

“Well, you still have to brush your teeth. I don’t.”

Wanda’s laugh was kind of majestic for someone who looked like a zombie. “Peter, you are too much like your dad.”

Peter threw his hands in the air. “He’s not my dad!”

Sam and Wanda glanced at each other and then gave Peter the ‘I-know-you-believe-what-you’re-saying-but-it-is-a-lie-from-the-pit-of-destruction’ look and he sighed.

“Whatever.”

They ate ice cream in silence until Sam spoke up. “So, Pete, what was your nightmare about?”

Peter didn’t answer for a long time, content on allowing the ice cream in his mouth to melt to liquid before he answered.

“It took a bit for Tony to find me in that rubble,” Peter said finally, staring at the ice cream in his hands. “I thought... I thought I wasn’t going to make it. I was screaming for someone to find me, but no one was around, and every shift in the rubble... I thought... this is it. It’s gonna crush me and no one will know.” He looked up, eyes shifting from Wanda, who seemed surprisingly emotional, to stony-faced Sam. “I suppose it wasn’t so much that I was dying... it’s that no one would know. But, dreams aren’t exact reflections of reality, so it was a little different. Instead of me under the rubble, it was... it was my uncle Ben. He... uh, was murdered a couple years ago. I watched...” Peter clenched his jaw, gripping his spoon in one hand. “I watched it happen. So, yeah, seeing him die like I could have was a bit... terrifying. And then... it wasn’t Ben. It was me, and I was dying again, and Tony...” Peter took a shuddering breath. “He found me, and pulled me out, you know? But before I could do anything he was crumbling to dust. And then I woke up.” Peter blinked the glassiness from his eyes and looked up, shrugging it off. “It’s not anything I haven’t dealt with before.”

Wanda set down her spoon. “Peter, if I have learned one thing over the years of having these powers, it’s that just because it happens to you all the time doesn’t mean you’re used to it.”

“Yeah, Wanda’s right. Talking about it helps. I’m more a volunteer than an actual therapist, but I’m the best you got, so you can come to me. Or even Tony if he helps you.”

Peter stuck another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, mulling. Perhaps he did feel a bit better talking about it.

“Look, kid, I’m sorry for mocking you or whatever. I didn’t know you thought I was serious,” Sam said reluctantly.

Peter’s gaze snapped up, but Sam was pointedly staring down at the ice cream in his hands. Then he shrugged. “I guess I’m sorry for following you around. I thought you kinda hated me, but I didn’t realize that maybe you wanted to be left alone.”

Sam nodded, taking another bite of ice cream.

They ate in silence for a minute before Sam spoke up again. “It’s not like I want to be left alone or anything. I was just teasing.”

Peter raised an eyebrow and Wanda laughed. “It means he wants you to keep following him around, Peter. He thinks you’re cute.”

Sam sputtered in objection and Peter groaned and buried his face in his hands, the cold spoon pressing against his cheek.

“What the heck are you guys doing at two in the morning, eating ice cream?!” a voice snapped from behind. All three turned slowly to see a very disheveled Tony Stark glaring at them.

(It was not lost on Sam and Wanda how his glare softened when his gaze found Peter. It was, however, lost on Peter)

Peter set down his ice cream on the counter and turned to the others. “Run,” he said, and they shot away, completely ignoring Tony’s protests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if it was confusing! I love all of your guys' comments and I hope you enjoyed this one as well.


	7. Rhodey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the last chapter of THIS fic. I will take suggestions on prompts for the next one, because I don't really know what I'm going to do yet, but that doesn't mean that I will use them all, sorry :). Thank you guys for all the support and comments and kudos, it mean SO much more than you know. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> * Revised * Okay, so for some reason, i didn't copy and paste the entire chapter out of word, so here's the full chapter for this fic

Rhodey was, without a doubt, Tony Stark’s best friend. The other Avengers made it feel like a family, but Rhodey had _always_ been friends with Tony Stark, even before it was cool.

However, the fact that James Rhodes was one of the only Avengers with an actual job caused him to be away from the compound more often than not. And, despite denying it, Rhodey missed hanging out with his best friend.

And maybe he was a bit jealous now that the other Avengers had moved in.

Jealous of all but one: Peter Parker.

Tony had explained who Peter Parker was a long time ago, but it had taken Rhodey a full year and too many probing questions to fully realize who Peter was to _Tony._

None of the other Avengers would replace him, he knew that, but he still got a little grumpy when he heard stories of Tony getting close with them. He still got a bit protective when Tony’d told him that Bucky moved back into the compound. He was still a bit reluctant around Steve.

But Peter was different. Peter was never going to replace Rhodey, or hurt Tony, or poorly influence Tony. Because even if it took Tony forever to realize, Rhodey knew what Peter was to Tony. Peter was Tony’s kid.

And he’d never even officially met him. Sure, he’d been around the compound when the kid was, but they hadn’t actually spoken one-on-one. But he was looking forward to it. From the small smiles, and the affectionate eyerolls, and the relaxed-ness Tony assumed when talking about him, Rhodey was actually hopeful to meet Peter.

But not like this.

“Tony just called me…” Pepper’s distraught call jarred him. Pepper was never distraught.

“What did he do? Did he hurt himself? I swear if he needed to go to the hospital-”

“No, no, no,” she cut him off. “It’s Peter. Peter’s been taken.”

Rhodey jumped up, already running towards the door. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Are you sure you can-?”

“How’s Tony?”

Pepper’s worried silence was answer enough.

“I’m using the suit. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

 

“Rhodey? What are you-”

Rhodey cut Sam off with a wave and disengaged from his suit, not breaking stride. “Where’s Tony?”

“He’s in the lab with Steve and Nat, but what are you-”

“Can’t _talk_ now Sam. Find me later.”

He took the stairs as was his habit. (He and Tony always raced to see whether the stairs or the elevator were faster. The elevator was, but Rhodey was as stubborn as his best friend.) When he got down to Tony’s lab, he found Steve pacing back and forth, talking into a cell phone that was much too high-tech to be his. Nat and Tony were hovering in front of a single monitor, overlapping and dancing around each other like it was choreographed, neither missing a step.

“Tones?”

Tony whirled, eyes already bloodshot and hair sticking up as if he’d strung his hands through it too many times. “Rhodes? Thank god you’re here. Who-”

Rhodey held up a hand. “Pepper.”

Tony nodded absentmindedly, eyes drifting back to the screen.

“What do you want me to do?”

Tony frowned a bit, thinking. Then his eyes caught on Steve who was still pacing. “Help Steve grill Peter’s girlfriend. Write everything down… once that’s finished… make a snack. We’re going to be up all night.”

Rhodey sighed, closing the distance between him and his friend. “It’s okay to rest a bit. Natasha and Bruce can handle it while you sleep.”

Tony shook his head, not meeting his eyes. “No, I can’t. No offense to Bruce and Tasha, I’m the best there is and-”

“I know you are. But you can’t help Peter if you’re too fatigued to remember to call your best friend.”

Tony had enough brain cells still functioning to look guilty. “Sorry, Rhodes, I just-”

Rhodey shook his head. “No, I get it. My point is, you need to _sleep_.”

Tony sighed. “I’ll take a nap in two hours; how does that sound?”

Rhodey shrugged reluctantly.

His best friend strung his shaking hands through his hair, messing it up even more. “Now, _go,_ I need all hands on deck.”

“Then why are the others just sitting up there?” Rhodey asked.

Tony blinked. “The others…?”

Rhodey sighed. “FRIDAY tell the others to get their asses down here and help.”

“OH, the _others_.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes, walking over to Steve who was starting to look stressed out.

If it wasn’t such a terrible situation, he may have found Tony’s predictable behavior amusing. But Rhodey sobered. They had a kid to find.

 

“I found him.”

Everyone’s attention perked at Nat’s voice.

“They’re below sea level, it looks like, in an old underground prison in Queens. It was more recently connected to a sewer system, but it looks like Mr. Hammer has converted it back into what it used to be,” Natasha explained, showing them the layout of the building that she was talking about. “I would assume he has soldiers. We should send everyone in.”

“Copy that,” Steve said, directing everyone to the elevator. “Everyone, suit up, it’s rescuing time. Bruce, you stay here and monitor. We don’t want the Hulk hurting Peter at all.”

“Why would he want Peter, anyway? What’s he got to gain?” Clint muttered under his breath for the thousandth time.

Tony shook his head as he tapped his watch and summoned his suit around him. “More than you know.”

“What about me?”

Tony hesitated, looking at his best friend. “Stay here in case someone attacks. I need you to get Pepper and May out of here if anything happens to this place, got it?”

Rhodey mock-saluted and Tony smirked for half a second before his faceplate closed and he was flying up the stairwell.

“I need to get my kid!”

 

It had been two days since they’d returned with Peter, and Tony had refused to leave his side. He kept making excuses as to why, but they were getting flimsier by the day. He barely slept. He only ate when Peter ate. He lived on coffee.

Rhodey walked into Peter’s room and sighed. Peter was asleep on his bed, Tony passed out beside him on his chair. In reality, Peter didn’t really _need_ to be in the hospital any longer, but both Tony and May had insisted on it because they were both insanely overprotective when it came to Peter’s health.

He crept over to Tony’s bed and grabbed his shoulder. “Tony… Tones, wake up.”

Tony groaned, blinking awake. “What do you want?”

“I want you to go to your bedroom and sleep in an actual bed.”

Tony was immediately awake, “What? No, I have to-”

“What, Tony? You have to what?”

Tony slumped, turning to look at Peter’s sleeping form in the minimal light streaming from the windows. “Be here.”

Rhodey shook his head. “You can’t be here all the time, Tony.”

“But-”

“I get it. I really do. But you _have_ to take care of yourself. What would Peter do if he knew you weren’t sleeping.”

Tony huffed a laugh through his nose but didn’t say anything, just reached over and brushed a curl from his kid’s forehead.

Rhodey snorted. “You’re such a dad.”

Tony froze, his eyes widening. His gaze shot to Rhodey. “No, I’m not.”

Rhodey laughed. “Yes, you are.”

“No-”

“Tony, you’ve been in this room for two days straight. You only eat when he eats. You’ve barely slept. If you weren’t basically his dad, you wouldn’t care so much.”

Tony glared. “Whatever Rhodes.”

“Go get some sleep. I’ll stay and watch the kid.”

He sighed, standing. “FRIDAY, alert me when he wakes up.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes, but let it go, taking Tony’s spot in the chair facing Peter and pulled out his phone. If he was going to babysit, he might as well get some work done.

 

When Tony had asked FRIDAY to alert him when Peter woke up, Rhodey had thought he was just being a helicopter parent. Wanting to be there just to be in Peter’s presence.

Not because he’d thought that Peter would be waking up from a nightmare.

Rhodey was at a loss with what to do.

Peter was thrashing, muttering things under his breath. Not quite asleep, but not entirely conscious either.

Rhodey froze, phone in his hand forgotten, and he stood, trying to think.

_What would Tony do?_

But Rhodey shook his head.

 _What did_ I _use to do?_

For Rhodey was no stranger to friends with nightmares. He roomed with Tony at MIT after all. What _did_ Rhodey do? He would climb in bed with Tony and lay there with him until Tony fell back to dreamless sleep.

But this wasn’t Tony.

 _No, but it’s Tony’s kid._ Rhodey thought. _The heck with it._

He slid Peter over, trying not to get hit in the face by a thrashing arm, lay down next to him, and put one arm around him. It was a little awkward because he hadn’t don it in at least thirty years, but his body seemed to remember a little more each moment that passed. Peter relaxed into him, muttering one last ‘Thanks, Mr. Stark’ before sinking back under. Rhodey rolled his eyes good-naturedly and pulled out his phone, scrolling through Facebook with one hand.

He didn’t notice how much time had passed until Peter’s voice yanked him from the pulling glow of his phone.

“Mr. Rhodes?”

Rhodey blinked. “Hey, kid, how are you doing?” He mentally berated himself. Why would the kid be doing good? He’d been having nightmares!

“I’m okay,” Peter responded, and Rhodey acted like he didn’t notice Peter curling into him a bit more. “Where’s Mr. Stark?”

 _“Sleeping_. He hasn’t been doing much of that for the past couple of days.”

Peter looked affronted. “Is it because of me? I don’t want him not taking care of himself just to be near me. I don’t need him _all_ the time, you know? I mean, being with him is kinda nice, and it’s nice that he wanted to stay, but he should really be sleeping. He doesn’t get enough as it is, much less now that he thinks he has to stay near me all the time. Not that I mind, it’s kinda nice. I already said that, didn’t I? I’m sorry, I just want Mr. Stark to take care of himself.”

Rhodey chuckled good-naturedly. “Me too, kid. Me too.”

“Did he make you stay?”

“No, I offered to. He wouldn’t have let me boss him around otherwise. He’s such an overprotective mom.”

Peter laughed a little, closing his eyes. “If he’s a mom, what does that make you?”

Rhodey looked at Peter for a moment. “Well… I’ve always wanted to be an Uncle.”

Peter sighed a bit, unconsciousness tugging at his body. “Okay, then, Uncle Rhodey.”

Rhodey clenched jaw, blinking back the glassiness from his eyes that he had not okayed. He’d always known that Peter was going to be Tony’s weakness from the first time he’d fully realized who Peter was. It had never once crossed his mind that Peter would be his as well. Or any of the Avengers for that matter.

But here they were.

Uncle Rhodey… huh….

It had a nice ring to it.


End file.
